Dolichol kinase

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Dolichol kinase

Dolichol kinase is an enzyme that helps build a key lipid used to attach sugars to proteins. It uses the molecule CTP to add a phosphate to dolichol, producing dolichyl phosphate. This reaction completes the formation of dolichyl phosphate, which acts as a carrier lipid in the cell.

Dolichyl phosphate is essential for glycosylation, the process that attaches sugars to proteins (N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation) and for making glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Without it, many proteins wouldn’t be properly glycosylated.

In humans, the DOLK gene encodes dolichol kinase. Mutations in DOLK cause a congenital disorder of glycosylation called DOLK-CDG (CDG-Im), a condition that can affect development and various body systems.

The enzyme is located in the membranes of the ER, where glycosylation processes take place.